


Of Silk and Hand-Sewn Seams

by Phantoms_Echo



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Alpha!Chase, Alpha!Kimiko, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Beta!Clay, Beta!Omi, Chase may or may not encourage this, Complete, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Jack just takes the things he needs, Kleptomania, M/M, Nesting, No Smut, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega!Jack, Omega!Raimundo, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22472233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phantoms_Echo/pseuds/Phantoms_Echo
Summary: A second passed by, then another. When he didn’t hear any answering quips, he craned his neck to see that the little area he’d made into a living space in his lair was empty. No other vaguely humanoid entities in sight.He gave a sigh and turned back to the TV. “Jackbot!”“Yes, sir?”“Get me some ice cream.”“Yes, sir.”“I’m feeling me some Mean Girls right now.”
Relationships: Background - Raimundo Pedrosa/Kimiko Tohomiko, Jack Spicer/Chase Young
Comments: 4
Kudos: 287





	Of Silk and Hand-Sewn Seams

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Xiaolin Showdown or any of its characters, only the idea for this fic.
> 
> PS - Hi there, new to this fandom, so some characters may be OOC. I'm still working my way through re-watching the series since the last time I saw it was when it aired on TV when I was, like, 12 or something. So there may be a few inaccuracies.
> 
> I have some plans to write a Kimiko/Rai fic with the same dynamics, but we'll have to see when I get the time.
> 
> Anyway, happy reading!

Jack needed those kimonos.

The ones laying innocently in a basket, waiting to be washed as Kimiko took a phone call from a friend in Tokyo. Omi and Clay were washing other robes in the stream, but the kimonos required special instructions that only Kimiko would actually follow. 

Well, her and Raimundo, but the Dragon of Wind looked to be absent and the Dragons of Water and Earth had twice the amount of laundry in their baskets. If Jack remembered right, he had heard them betting over Kimiko at the last showdown.

Raimundo had won, so this was likely his reward.

But thinking of that showdown brought Jack back to his current problem. The changes from the Monkey Staff had given him a terrible stomach-ache. At first, he had thought it was because of all of those banana pudding cups, but a quick blood test showed differently.

The biological changes had somehow flushed his current suppressants from his blood stream, so he was going into heat soon. He had already started his nest back in his lair, the most secure place he could find, but something was missing. Something to make his nest safer, more homely. To feel more like a pack and not just... _him_.

It was stupid and primal, but his instincts told him that a packless omega, was a _dead_ one.

Wuya was no help. She didn’t have a scent, let alone clothes he could add to his nest. Plus, he wasn’t sure he would _want_ her scent in his nest, if she had one. They didn't exactly get along, even on the best of days.

He already had some things from his parents, but they themselves were out of the country. This surprise heat had snuck up on him and rather than answer a bunch of questions about whether he was 'taking the suppressants they spent so much money for', Jack just stole some of their two week old laundry before the maids could come and take it away to be cleaned. The scent on the clothes were weak, but it was still his parents. It made his nest feel a little safer, but he needed more.

So in his drive to fill that need, he found himself sneaking around the countryside of the Xiaolin temple, trying not to get caught. Just being here made his skin crawl and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He wanted to hurry up, grab what he needed, and leave.

Which was why he found his eyes drawn to the pile of silken fabric abandoned by the side of the river.

He had staked the place out for almost an hour now. He had seen Kimiko bring them down, along with a lot of other equipment to, presumably, use on the kimonos. Then her phone had rang and prompted her to move away for better reception.

Honestly, it was the perfect opportunity. He didn’t have to try and sneak into the temple proper or dodge the large number of monks that lived within its walls. He didn’t have to confront anyone or try to explain his _need_ for clothing his enemies had worn –because it was a _need_ , not a want or thoughtless desire. His nest _needed_ those scent in it, if he was going to be able to power through the next three days.

It was a golden opportunity, so he took it.

Hover pack on his back, he flew over quietly, keeping low to the ground to keep from alerting the others. He crept forward, hiding behind each boulder and hill before he was able to dart over to the other side of the river. There, he smiled in glee and reached down to collect his prize, only to pause.

Omi and Clay’s robes were a given. They were Betas, their scents not too pungent, but still strong enough to be known. He knew, logically, that they would turn on his the moment they saw him, but his Omega senses found the smells pleasing, so there was no way he was leaving them behind.

He hesitated at Kimiko’s kimono, because she was an _alpha_ and he wasn’t sure having her scent in his nest would be a good thing. He wasn’t in a full heat and really didn’t want to accidentally trigger one. Then again, she hadn’t given him anything in a show of courtship, so he doubted his instincts would be too touchy.

Plus, the monks had only worn their robes for however long it took to get into the castle and then through the Showdown. Their scents were light, even though Kimiko had been walking through literal fire to make it through that showdown. She must have also been on suppressants for how light her scent was weaved into the fabric.

So Jack was fine with taking the kimonos from the Dragons of Water, Earth and Fire, but Raimundo’s robes stunk to high heaven.

But it would be weird if he took all but one robe, right?

He had already touched all of them. They would be able to smell his scent on the one he left behind. They would know he took them instead of, say, a freak rush of water from the river dragging them all away or some strange gust of wind blowing them off a cliff.

So he couldn’t really leave one behind, even if he really didn’t want to take it with him…

Jack groaned and shook his head.

_Ugh_ , this was taking too long! He needed to hurry! If he didn’t—!

“Hey!” Kimiko shouted. Jack looked up to find her sprinting his way. In a frantic panic, he balled up the robes and clutched them to his chest –but found he couldn’t activate his hover pack with his hands full. He crouched low, shoulders hunched and teeth bared.

He could fight her. He wouldn’t win, that was for sure, but he could fight her and his Omega instincts pressed him to fight. He had found the bundle of fabric fair and square. He _needed_ it for his nest. He wouldn’t let Kimiko take it back without a fight!

Even though, he knew, a fight would just make it worse. And if he lost…

He looked between the clothes in his hands and Kimiko’s angry stomping, whimpering in indecision.

At the sound, Kimiko faltered, pausing mid-step before pacing up to him.

“What are you doing?” Kimiko demanded, with a little less fire than usual and a little more confusion. “Are you _stealing our clothes_?”

Jack just stared at her, wide-eyed, caught with evidence in hand. He scrambled for a response, eventually ending up on: “It’s not what it looks like!”

“Not what it looks—? It looks like you’re stealing our clothes!” Kimiko threw her hands up as she stalked closer. Jack instinctively shrank back. “The thing I don’t get is _why_! There’s no Shen-gon-wu in our things! So the only reason you would have would be—!”

She ground to a halt as the wind shifted around them. Jack realized what had stopped her just as her nostrils flared, scenting the air about her.

“You’re an _Omega_!” she shouted, half in surprise, half in disbelief.

“Shhh!” He flapped a hand at her, scanning the area quickly. “Do you mind _not_ telling the entire world?!”

“But if you’re an Omega, then…” She looked down at his arms, where the clothes were still bundled up and clutched close to his chest. She frowned harshly, making him shrink back and give serious thought to just dropping his loot and running. His instincts gave a hiss of displeasure.

Her gaze trailed from him to the monk encampment, then back before she took a step forward. “You’ll want to leave Raimundo’s here.”

“What?” He blinked at her advice and startled when she reached for the clothes. She made him drop them so she could sort them out more easily. 

“Raimundo,” Kimiko repeated. “Even though he wears this _awful_ Alpha body spray, he’s an Omega too. The scent of a rival Omega won’t help you out during your heat.”

So _that’s_ why Jack didn’t like his scent. For the most part, Raimundo was a cool dude, but Jack couldn’t stand within five feet of him any time they met. “Why would he do that?”

“Probably for the same reason you have suppressants,” Kimiko said as she pulled Raimundo’s formal wear from the pile. “Like most second and third world countries, Brazil has this _thing_ about male Omegas, but Raimundo’s family didn’t have enough money for suppressants, so the pheromone spray was the best he could get. For most people, it’s enough to drown out his normal scent.”

“Not you?” Jack questioned, cautious in the face of such freely given information.

“I’ve got better senses than most.” Kimiko shrugged and folded the other three kimonos. “You better give these back when you’re done with them —cleaned and scent-free. Clay and Omi are Beta, so their scents should be okay for your heat. Clay won’t mind if there’s a little dirt left on his, but Omi treasures his robes. He’ll be real put-out that they’ll disappear for a few days as it is.”

“What about you?” Jack hesitated as she handed the stack back to him. It was a lot easier to carry this way.

“My scent on them is a few days old, so you shouldn’t go into _actual_ heat by just having them around,” Kimiko said as she stood, Raimundo’s formal wear folded in hand. “As for the kimono, you can burn it when you’re done.”

Jack flinched back. That was… a little bit of an overreaction. Right?

Kimiko noticed his motion, rolled her eyes, and sighed. “It’s not because of you, Jack. I just hate clothes like this. I was planning to burn them anyway, whether you borrow them or not.”

That… made him feel slightly better.

“Won’t you get in trouble?” Jack asked, even as he activated his hoverpack. 

“I’ll tell the others that they got something really bad on them.” Kimiko shrugged. “Had to send them to dry-cleaning in the city. As long as you _actually clean them_ , I don’t think they’ll notice.”

“Won’t it be weird that Raimundo is the only one whose clothes aren’t missing?”

“Maybe, but he won’t notice for a couple days at least.” Kimiko picked a piece of grass off the soft fabric. “You’re not the only one going down for a while.”

Going down? As in… oh. _Oh_. Right. Raimundo was an Omega too. So then, he was…?

“Why are you telling me this?” Jack needed to know. Information like this didn’t come cheap, not when he was involved.

“Because I know you won’t tell anyone?” Kimiko shrugged, but her eyes turned steely. “Because if you try, I just might let it slip that you are an Omega too. And maybe it’s a little obvious what _stealing clothes from you enemies_ for your nest might mean about your own defenses?”

Jack felt a chill go up his spine. That small voice in his ear whispered again. _A packless Omega, is a dead one._

“I got your message loud and clear!” he squeaked as he took off into the air. It was easier to maneuver now that the clothes were folded into little squares.

“Don’t forget to clean them!” she yelled after him, but he didn’t respond. He wanted to put as much space between him and the home of his enemies as he could.

… Even as the combined scent of the beta-males and Alpha-female were starting to make his stiff shoulders relax.

* * * * *

“What are you _doing_?!” Wuya demanded when she found Jack slumped over on his couch with a thick pile of blankets over him. “There is a Shen-gon-wu active! We must retrieve it!”

“Not today, Wuya.” Jack groaned and pulled the blankets up to his nose. The TV played on in front of him. “Go ask Katnappe. I’m sure she’ll help you.”

“Perhaps I will!” Wuya hissed and flew away, anger spitting at the blatant brush off, but… no, something wasn’t right. Jack _hated_ Katnappe, hated it even more when Wuya mentioned siding with _her_ instead of the dimwitted genius. For him to _advise her_ to go to the young bio-geneticist… 

Wuya turned back, floating over Jack’s head, eyes narrowed. He was still curled up under the thick, colorful blankets. He seemed lethargic and his eyes were hazy. “Something is wrong with you. Are you _ill_?”

“In a sense,” Jack grumbled. A hand snaked out to grab the TV remote before hiding back under the covers. The TV changed channels, skimming through several as he spoke. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing _you_ can catch.”

“I don’t have a body. I can’t catch anything. If I did, it wouldn’t matter.” Wuya drew back, smile harsh. “I’m too _powerful_ to be brought down by a common cold.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Jack waved a hand at her. “Look, I’m not getting up, so if you want that Wu, you’re going to have to go to someone else!”

Wuya’s eyes narrowed at the boy, scanning over his form. Something still wasn’t right.

He wasn’t sick, she had seen him when caught by a cold. He complained endlessly of aches and pains and stuffy-noses. He ordered his Jackbots for medicine and other things to solve his various ailments. This Jack was _not_ doing so, which meant he was not ill, but… what did that leave?

With a start, she realized the colorful fabrics she had _thought_ were blankets, were anything _but_. They were long tracts of silk and hand-sewn seams — _kimonos_ , and _familiar ones_ at that.

“Are those the kimonos of the _Xiaolin warriors_?” Wuya hissed suspiciously.

“Would you just _go_ already, Wuya?” Jack whined as he ducked his head under the top layer, the one Wuya remembered seeing on the large Dragon of Earth. 

The size of the yukata was large enough to be used as an actual blanket, it dwarfed Jack so. Beneath it, she spied the pink of the Dragon of Fire’s kimono and the red of the Dragon of Water’s ceremonial robes. Underneath those were other garments, blouses and slacks she had watched Jack dig out of a pile of laundry days earlier.

Scented clothing from family and strong warriors, a certain listlessness and refusal to leave the couch, his claimed space… “You’re in _heat_?!”

“I said _go_ , Wuya!”

“You are a _male Omega_?” Wuya hissed, hair whipping around frantically in her anger. “And you used clothes of you _enemies_ in your _nest_?!”

“I said _leave_!” Jack shouted, throwing back the yukata arm he’d been hiding under. His red eyes were fierce, more so than Wuya had ever seen. He bared his teeth in frustration. “Get Katnappe! Or Le Mime! Or Tubbimura! _I don’t care_. But I am _not_ leaving this couch for _at least_ another two days! So you’ll just have to deal!”

Wuya drew back at the aggressive display. She ducked down low, eyes narrowed as she turned away. “I can’t believe you’re an _Omega_.”

“Don’t like it? Don’t come back,” Jack hissed, then dropped himself back into his nest, nose against the calming scent of light dust and grass after the rain. 

A second passed by, then another. When he didn’t hear any answering quips, he craned his neck to see that the little area he’d made into a living space in his lair was empty. No other vaguely humanoid entities in sight.

He gave a sigh and turned back to the TV. “Jackbot!”

“ _Yes, sir?”_

“Get me some ice cream.”

_“Yes, sir.”_

“I’m feeling me some _Mean Girls_ right now.”

* * * * *

It was another two days before Jack was able to get himself off the couch and into proper clothes instead of the ripped-T and sweatpants he had lounged around in during his heat. It was a few days more until he got the robes back from the cleaners and managed to get them re-folded and packed away with the Jackbots’ help.

He gave himself a small cool-down period like he always did when the doctors suggested he go off of his suppressants, then tossed a pill back and started back on his daily routine. No doubt he’d have to do the whole thing all over again in three months when his doctor’s decided it was time again, but at least he wouldn’t have to suffer in the meantime.

Bags packed and scent near non-existant, Jack was ready to drop the robes back off at the Xiaolin temple.

And also steal a couple Shen-gon-wu, but eh, what could he say? It was just part of who he was.

It didn’t mean he didn’t end up losing some at the next Showdown though. He was pretty sure his little Chameleon-bot stunt ruined any good-will Kimiko _might_ have had for him, but Jack knew where to draw the line in the sand and it wasn’t there. Not by a long shot.

The Showdown _did_ lead to a strange conversation that Jack had never, for the life of him, anticipated. After the Showdown, before he could make his grand escape, Raimundo caught him by the sleeve and dragged him away from the gathered warriors.

“I know that you were the one to steal everyone’s robes from the Golden Tiger Claws Showdown,” Raimundo said quietly, not loud enough for the other Xiaolin monks to hear. Jack tensed and glared at where Kimiko laughed and celebrated her victory. Raimundo quickly stepped in front of him. “Hey man, she didn’t mean anything by it. She did keep it a secret from the others. I just kept pushing until she finally told me.”

Well, two out of three wasn’t bad, but _still_.

“And besides, I get where you’re coming from. It’s… hard, not being close to people who care about you.” Raimundo scrubbed a hand from his neck down his shoulder, releasing a wave of nervous pheromones.

The smell made Jack’s nose wrinkle. It was heavily covered by Alpha scent, so he couldn’t get any Omega strands out of the cloud, even though his mind said he should. It almost made him want to wretch.

Still, as far as covers went, it was a pretty good one. No one would think Raimundo was Omega, not with that cloud of stench around him. He wondered how much the spray cost. Or maybe the cheaper the spray, the better it worked?

“But that doesn’t mean you can just abscond with our things, you know!” Raimundo gave him a reprimanding stare, accompanied by a wagging finger. “We’d be nice enough to give you stuff, if you just _asked_. If it made you feel safer, there’s no way we could say ‘no’.”

“I know that _now_.” Jack groaned dramatically. He _so_ wanted this conversation to be over. “And if my suppressants get burned out again, I’ll make sure to ask first. But since you guys have the Monkey Staff, I highly doubt that will happen.”

“Monkey Staff?” Raimundo’s brow folded in confusion. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Best guess I could come up with?” Jack shrugged. “The DNA changes that it makes when turning you into a monkey messes up the hormones in suppressants that are meant to keep heats at bay. You shouldn’t have a problem, since you don’t take them, but I got a _really_ rude awakening when I lost that Wu.”

“Huh… makes sense.” Raimundo scratched at his chin before shaking his head. “Anyway, as long as you know that we’ll help, I’ve done my part.”

“Great. Awesome. Is this conversation over now?” Jack demanded. He activated his helipack, not waiting for an answer. Before he could take off, a hand grabbed him. “ _Whaaaat_?”

“My yutaka.” Raimundo held out a hand. “I want it back.”

“Your what?” Jack frowned.

“My yutaka… yukata?” Raimundo tripped over the foreign word. “The formal robes! Omi and Clay got there’s back. Kimiko burned hers, but I didn’t get mine back!”

“Uh… I didn’t take it?” Jack raised a brow at him.

“Dude, you took the others! I know you have it!” Raimundo’s shoulders drew up as his face twisted in anger. “We just had a heart-to-heart here! Man-to-man, _hombre-a-hombre_! You can’t just go back to lying to me!”

“I’m _not_!” Jack hissed. “Kimiko said that a rival Omega’s scent in my nest would make me uncomfortable. Plus, I don’t want to offend you, but that spray you have? _Reeks_. I wouldn’t want it within a ten-foot radius of my nest!”

“But if you didn’t take it, then…?” Raimundo’s face grew suspicious before his eyes went wide and he turned to his group. “ _Kimiko_!”

“Huh?” the girl perked up at the call of her name, but grew fearful when she saw who Raimundo was standing next to. “Uh-oh…”

“You said that Jack had taken my robes!” Raimundo yelled as he stomped over. “Except _he_ said that he had never taken them!”

“Whaaaat?” Kimiko laughed nervously. “Raimundo, you can’t be serious, right? Jack lies all the time!”

“This is true, my dear friend Raimundo,” Omi chimed in with a serious look on his face. “Jack Spicer is a most devious foe with the tongue of precious metal.”

“Silver-tongue,” Clay corrected with a tip of his hat.

“So it’s a lie that my scent _reeks_?” Raimundo crossed his arms with a put-out expression on his face.

“Ah…” Omi blinked, then sheepishly bowed his head. “In this case, Jack Spicer is most correct.”

“I cannot disagree there, pard’ner.”

“So if he didn’t take it…” Raimundo leaned in close, looming over the pale-faced girl. “Where did my stuff go? _Kimiko_?”

Her fear quickly turned to annoyance in the face of his posturing. She turned up her nose. “You want to know? Fine!” She turned up her nose at him. “I threw it away!”

“You _what_?!”

And that was Jack’s cue to leave. 

“Did you not hear me? I _threw it away_!”

“Do you know how _expensive_ those robes were, woman?!”

“I was doing you a _favor_! Trust me, Rai!”

“You weren’t doing my _wallet_ a favor!”

Their bickering slowly faded into the distance as Jack’s helipack carried him away.

Despite her cruel words, Jack had to wonder what had actually happened to Raimundo’s clothes. After all, Kimiko had been meticulous in straightening and folding the yukata the last he’d seen it. She had held it tenderly in her hands, gently, as if holding a prized possession.

He wondered, idly, if the Alpha had absconded with it herself. She wouldn’t have a use for it, not like an Omega nesting would, but if her senses were as strong as she claimed, she might have some other need of it.

And that was one thought Jack didn’t want to follow.

* * * * *

After that, Jack entered into a sort of alliance with the Xiaolin warriors.

_No_ , he didn’t go good-side and they didn’t become his minions. He didn’t suddenly decide to play nice and they certainly didn’t go easy on him. Nothing that grand and well-meaning. Just the thought made him sick.

But when it came time for the twice yearly heats his doctors forced him to go through, well, Jack knew he could turn to them. (And the times when the temptation of the Monkey Staff became too great, but he tried not to let that happen… much.)

He knew he could ask for articles for his nest without them rejecting him. He knew they would go easier on him during Showdowns if his scheduled heats were near. He knew not to prod Raimundo too harshly when the other Omega started acting like a mother hen –the other’s own heat nearing. He knew not to egg Kimiko on too much when her own rut made her temper tenuous at best. And he knew that, sometimes, if he asked, they could all go out for ice cream together, ‘Mondays’ Omi called it.

All in all, it worked out. Jack still played the evil villain, because that’s who he _was_ , but they had an unspoken understanding.

Some things were sacred, untouchable to both the monks’ honor code and Jack’s own careful plans. He wouldn’t purposefully break that trust, not unless he had a Plan C to fall back on. And for several months, he didn’t.

And then Chase Young came into the picture.

Chase Young was the Alpha of Alphas. He was strong, mature, his pheromones virile. Thanks to his dragon self, his senses were more experienced than the everyday Alpha, his instincts more honed. He had an entire castle to himself with a pack of warrior cats at his beck and call.

Jack had never seen a more prime example of an Alpha specimen.

He had also never seen anyone more out of his league.

Even _Kimiko_ was technically in his league and she _hated_ him on most occasions. Chase Young? He wasn’t someone Jack could get in his fever dreams.

Jack was a male Omega, and a weak one at that. Thanks to his genetic _anomalies_ , he had lower than average fertility rates. Not that he was _looking_ to get pregnant –not at fifteen! –but still, he would like it if the option were more than just one in a million chance. Pair that with his annoying chronic health conditions brought on by his albinism and it didn’t spell good news for mates.

The chance of having all those things pass onto the child they had, _if_ Jack were able to conceive?

No Alpha wanted those odds, not ones that wanted prime heirs.

So yeah, Jack knew that Chase Young wasn’t for him. There’s no way Jack could catch his eye, nor keep it after Chase found out just how useless Jack’s genetics were.

That didn’t keep Jack from day dreaming though. Coming home to an Alpha like that? It was a very pleasant thought.

* * * * *

Jack may have thought he was doing a good job of keeping his fawning to himself, but it was blatantly obvious to everyone, even Chase Young himself. Though, unless the genius made a nuisance of himself, Chase had made it a point to ignore the other’s actions. By silent decree, so did everyone else.

Or so he had thought.

“Chase Young,” Kimiko stated as she walked up to the Heylin warlord.

“Kimiko Tohomiko.” Chase greeted, raising a brow. While he had always been amused by the Dragon of Fire’s short-temperedness, he had never seen it rear its head in such a way before. He was curious of what made her approach him.

She and the other Xiaolin warriors had just won a number of Shen-gon-wu off of Spicer’s league of two-bit villains. (Honestly, he needed better coworkers.)

Usually, once the festivities were over, no one bothered to stay around. No one but Chase as he relished in an area untouched by man’s pollution.

Surely she couldn’t feel the same.

“I have a request.” Kimiko crossed her arms and canted her hip.

“Oh?” Intriguing indeed. “Be careful, young one. Requests have consequences.”

“Consider it a warning then,” she said with a simple shrug, like the wording didn’t matter to her. His other brow rose to meet the first. “If Jack Spicer ever comes around to borrow or steal some of your clothes, let him.”

His eyebrows moved down, furrowing. “What need does he have for my clothing?”

“He might not smell it, but he’s an Omega,” Kimiko said, a hint of concern in her voice.

And, really, that would explain a _lot_ of the genius’ eccentricities. Hmm… Interesting. Chase would have thought his nose would have picked up on that. Perhaps he was getting rusty? He would need to add a new segment to his training.

“He’s really good about staying on his suppressants, but some Wu have managed to burn them out of his system before he realizes it.” Kimiko crossed her arms over her chest. “He usually comes to us for nest material, but now that he’s your apprentice, he’ll probably avoid asking for our help. You’ll need to give him some of your stuff instead.”

Chase wrinkled his nose at the thought of some stranger’s scent on his personal items. “And _why_ should I do that?”

“Because he’ll need to feel safe in his nest and if he doesn’t feel like he’s pack, he’s going to get panicky about his place as your apprentice.” Kimiko’s eyes narrowed. “ _And_ because, if you don’t take care of him, _we will_ , and we’ll make sure he doesn’t return to you. You’ve seen what it’s like to have him on your side. Can you think of what it would be like to go against both him _and_ us?”

Chase frowned at that. Jack himself was hardly the best fighter, but his swarm of bots were an annoyance in and of themselves. His genius was also no laughing matter. Though he didn’t often apply himself, Spicer had great potential. If he grew into his own _and_ teamed up with the Xiaolin warriors…

Chase would have an interesting situation on his hands…

“I cannot guarantee that he will come to me for nesting materials,” Chase began slowly. “But, if he does, I will grant him sufficient articles with which to nest.”

Kimiko broke out into a grin.

“ _However_.” Chase glared at her. “I do not want any of you or your friends to present him with items. I do not want your scents hovering around my citadel.”

Kimiko’s grin turned sly. “Oh, don’t worry, we won’t _present_ him with anything. If he comes _asking_ , though… well, we definitely won’t refuse.”

Chase bared his teeth at the insolent girl. How dare she wheedle a loop-hole from his demand? The thought of her Alpha scent stinking up his castle made him hiss in contempt.

He would have to make sure Jack never sought them out for items in his nest.

* * * * *

Jack wasn’t entirely sure how it happened, but he had ended up with several of Chase’s garments in his nest –anything from socks and leather arm bracers to an actual _shirt_ of the Alpha’s, still reeking from his latest work out.

Well, Jack knew _how_ he’d ended up with them in his possession. His stupid Omegan instincts had gone all klepto on him and made off with any unsupervised garments left lying around Chase’s citadel. The thing he couldn’t figure out was why Chase hadn’t _killed_ him for it.

It wasn’t like it was a secret.

Jack had told Chase about the heat his doctors had advised him to endure to hopefully fix his messed up cycle (Thanks in no small part to the monkey staff. What could he say? Jack really liked that Wu.) Even if he hadn’t told him, the scent of an Omega in heat would be obvious, especially with Chase’s stronger senses. Lying just wasn’t worth it.

But in any case, Chase _had_ to have noticed his slowly diminishing closet. He _had_ to have at least suspected it was Jack, and yet…

No reptilian warlord had come to kill him. No warrior cats had come to throw him out. Not even his nest had been disturbed, which he was grateful for. If his nest had been tampered with, well, Jack couldn’t say for sure what he would do.

Probably something stupid that would get himself killed –like attacking the Alpha head on for daring to touch what was his. Never mind the fact that Chase had several inches and about a hundred pounds on him, Jack would go straight for the throat and lose his own in the process. It would feel so _right_ at the time though, protecting his nest. Dumb Omega instincts.

So Jack really had no idea how he had amassed such a large collection of Chase’s things, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He would just keep collecting and hoping that Chase never noticed.

* * * * *

From one of the many hidden alcoves within his citadel’s walls, Chase watched as Jack tiptoed into the room he had been given in the rarely used guest wing. He had noticed Jack absconding with various pieces of his clothing for a while now. The boy was not subtle in the least, but Chase paid it no mind.

After all, he was the one subtly leaving them in places for the boy to find.

Kimiko had made it clear what would be the cost of leaving the genius to his own devices. Chase didn’t want her scent in his castle any more than she wanted his scent on her clothes, he imagined. So he had to make sure Jack’s needs were met.

However, he couldn’t outright hand the Omega his things. Such actions could be construed as ‘courting’ behaviors. Courting behavior would prompt a _full_ heat, rather than a dry one. While Jack was an interesting option, Chase had no wish to mate one so young. And with the ongoing war between the Xiaolin and the Heylin and Hannibal Bean still out there, Chase didn’t have time to lose.

But afterwards… oh, afterwards…

Jack was intriguing to say the least. His genetic mutation made his features unique, _exotic_ , something rare and hard to come by. Chase had always been a collector of the rare and beautiful and he had always loved a _challenge_.

By his own research, those features also made it harder for the Omega to conceive, nearly _impossible_ without extensive and _expensive_ procedures. Why, Chase would hazard a guess that he may be the _only_ Alpha able to help Jack along the natural route –and even then the chances were low.

A challenge indeed… but that would have to wait until after.

After Chase had reclaimed his soul from the Bean’s grasp. After he had bested the Xiaolin warriors once and for all and raised himself ruler over all the lands. After the entire world had succumbed to his iron fist and no other enemies dared oppose him.

Then, and only then, could he entertain the thought of acquiring such a precious rarity as Jack Spicer.

Until then, he would have to make do with his _own_ scavenged articles, faint scent cloying his nose, and the thoughts of pale skin on silk sheets. With such thoughts in mind, Chase smirked and faded back into the shadows.

**Author's Note:**

> I know I skipped over a lot here, but I just wanted to get the main idea down. I still haven't finished watching the series (just got to the end of season 2), so I'm sure I'll get a lot more ideas, but I'll make sure to put those ideas into another fic.
> 
> For those of you who are familiar with my other works, don't forget about the [poll](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17474012/chapters/49493087) I have going on. Final votes need to be in before Feb. 29 as that is when I'll post results.
> 
> For those of you who don't know me... thank you for giving this fic a try! :) I hope to see you again the next time I swing by this fandom!
> 
> See you!


End file.
